Chapter 90: Extra: My Precious Daughter
In February in Beijing, there is still a chill in the air.
The midwives and nannies in Yonglian's courtyard were all busy sweating. The concubine was about to give birth, and even the queen rushed over.
No matter how the Queen tried to persuade Yonglian, he just stood outside the delivery room, watching the midwives and nannies coming in and out, and blood being brought out one after another.
Yonglian was so nervous that he couldn't breathe and tears welled up in his eyes.
The Empress was helpless and tried to comfort Yonglian, "This is already going smoothly. The cervix is already six fingers dilated. I estimate that in half an hour or so, the baby will be born."
Yonglian thought that every moment of this kind of thing felt like an eternity, so he began to mutter, "Baby, please come out soon. I've made you lots of toys and will buy you delicious food. I'll bow to you and give you whatever you want. Please stop bothering your mother, okay?"
Queen: “…”
Qianlong was also worried about his soon-to-be-born grandson, and his attention frequently wandered while discussing government affairs with Fuheng. But no matter how anxious he was, he couldn't go to the Yonglian Courtyard. He simply summoned Shu Hede, and the two old fathers shared their anxiety.
Shu Nan's biological mother died young, and she didn't want her stepmother to take care of her during childbirth.
Shuhede felt sorry for his daughter. The more he thought about it, the more upset he became and he couldn't help crying.
Qianlong: "...This is a great joyous occasion, why are you crying?" He could only persuade his in-laws, "Alright, alright. If you are truly worried, just come with me and burn some incense."
At this time, the Empress Dowager was also chanting sutras and praying for her grandson's wife in the Buddhist temple in Shoukang Palace.
The old man had finished his dinner, and when he heard that there was still no movement, he became a little impatient and decided to go and check.
Concubine Yu and others advised her not to go and to let the nanny beside her go.
The Empress Dowager disagreed. She knew the significance of this child to the Emperor and Yonglian. If it was a little prince, he would most likely inherit the throne in the future.
Moreover, the old man knew that his grandson and granddaughter-in-law had a very close relationship. If something happened to his granddaughter-in-law, his grandson would definitely not be able to withstand the blow.
She still took a sedan chair to Yonglian's courtyard. The empress and the first wife were sitting in the side rooms, and Niu Lun also came from the princess's mansion.
Yonglian was still squatting at the door of the delivery room.
When everyone saw the old lady coming, they hurriedly helped her to the side room to wait.
Yonglian came in and reported the situation of his wife to the Empress Dowager, then hurried out.
The Queen explained to the Queen Mother somewhat helplessly, "This child is a father for the first time, and he is very nervous."
The Queen Mother said, "It's always like this. When you gave birth to the second princess, Hongli was so anxious that his face turned pale."
The Second Princess was the Queen's first child. The delivery was extremely difficult and Emperor Qianlong waited outside the delivery room for a whole day.
The Queen couldn't help but sigh in her heart that Yonglian's love and respect for his wife was indeed learned from her Khan father, but there were also some differences.
The emperor treats me well, not only because of the years of marital affection, but also because he values etiquette and law. Rationally, I feel that as a qualified emperor, this is what he should do.
But Yonglian was very kind to his wife, and even more so in private. She heard from the maids in Yonglian's courtyard that the young couple was even sweeter in private. During the most difficult months of his pregnancy, when his wife occasionally threw tantrums, Yonglian was very patient in coaxing her.
Not only did the Queen not blame the Concubine, she also told the people in Yonglian's courtyard that such trivial matters between husband and wife should not be told to the Emperor.
The Empress Dowager, the Empress, and the First Lady had all experienced this. When they talked about the difficulties of pregnancy and childbirth, Niu Lun remained silent. She had witnessed several births and the more she watched, the more frightened she became. God was so unfair. Why did women have to suffer this?
Outside the delivery room, someone brought a chair for Yonglian to sit on, but Yonglian couldn't sit still at all.
Fortunately, after a while, the sound of a baby crying was heard from inside. The nanny standing by the door opened the door to announce the good news. Yonglian rushed directly into the delivery room and went straight to Shu Nan.
The maids thought he wanted to see the child, so they said, "My dear, the child is over there. It's a little princess. The maids are helping to clean her."
Yonglian just glanced over there. Since the child was crying loudly, he must be a healthy baby. His mind was now full of making sure that Fu Jin was okay.
Shu Nan's face was pale, and her hair was damp with sweat. When she heard it was a little princess, her heart sank. Seeing that the Second Prince hadn't gone to see the child, her voice choked with sobs as she spoke, "You said before that you loved both princes and princesses."
"Of course I love you," Yonglian was stunned for a moment before he realized that she had misunderstood him, "but I love you more." As he said this, he wiped the sweat off her face with a handkerchief.
Because the Second Prince's reaction was so unexpected, no one in the delivery room knew whether to congratulate him or not. For a moment, no one dared to speak except for the crying of the baby.
Then everyone heard Yonglian's words.
Many people expressed disbelief, saying that he said so because he didn't care about his daughter. But regardless of whether this was true or not, everyone could kneel down and congratulate him.
Only after Yonglian was sure that his wife was fine did he feel the joy of becoming a father for the first time.
The little princess had been wrapped up, and Yonglian took her carefully from the nanny's hands. The baby's hair was black and shiny, and the nannies said it was a sign of good health.
Yonglian quickly carried the child to the delivery bed and let Shu Nan see the child.
After the couple had both seen the child, Yonglian took the swaddling baby to show the empress and others.
The Queen just found out that he went straight to the delivery room and she was in great pain. If Emperor Qianlong knew about this, he would definitely scold him.
But it doesn’t matter, everyone is looking at the baby now.
The eldest wife and Niu Lun came over to watch, praising the child with all kinds of words.
Yonglian didn't think much of it at first, but the more he listened, the more he felt that it was true. His precious daughter was just so beautiful!
Someone had already gone to inform Qianlong of the news. When Qianlong learned that it was a little princess, he should have been disappointed rationally, but that was only rationally, as people were already on their way to the prince's residence.
Shuhede looked at Qianlong eagerly.
Qianlong glanced at him and said, "Why don't you go back and prepare a gift for your little granddaughter?"
Seeing that the emperor couldn't suppress his smile, Shuhede breathed a sigh of relief and quickly slipped away.
In the first few days after the little princess was born, there were rumors in the courtyard that the second prince was a little disappointed and did not see the child immediately.
Because of this incident, Qianlong called Yonglian to the Yangxin Palace and scolded him.
"As a master, your every move affects the attitudes of those below you. What if the servants look down on the little princess because of this? If something really happens, you won't regret it!"
Yonglian could only accept the scolding obediently, as Khan Ama’s teachings were not unreasonable.
But at that time he was so worried about his wife that he didn't think so much.
In order to show his respect for the little princess, Yonglian gave his daughter the nickname "Mianmian". Because the first character of the names of the little princes of this generation started with "Mian", Yonglian gave his daughter this name to show that the little princess and the little prince were the same.
Qianlong loved his granddaughter and did not object.
As the little princess grew up, the rumors that the second prince didn't like his daughter disappeared because everyone could see how much he loved his daughter.
In the summer, Mianmian was old enough to be carried outside, and Yonglian and his wife would often take the child out for walks. Yonglian even made a stroller for his daughter.
The stroller is filled with Mianmian’s favorite toys, and Mianmian likes to sit among the toys.
Yonglian was able to push his daughter all the way from the beautiful scenery of Wuling to the peaceful and tranquil Jiuzhou.
Because his granddaughter often came, Qianlong not only had Mianmian's toys, but also her small clothes, swaddling clothes, and even diapers.
While the father and son were discussing serious matters, Mianmian was playing on the couch beside them, only humming when she felt sleepy.
Yonglian was very skilled in taking care of children. He didn't even need to call the nanny in. He could coax his daughter to sleep in no time.
Qianlong loved his daughters, but he never took such good care of Niu Lun when she was a child. Yonglian was even worse than him.
In the future, Mianmian’s treatment will probably be better than Niu Lun’s.
Mianmian was not fat when she was born, but she was well taken care of after birth. The little guy ate a lot and gradually grew into a chubby baby.
When she was a little over one year old, Concubine Yu sprained her waist while holding her.
Yonglian and his wife hurried to visit Concubine Yu and gave her a lot of good medicinal herbs.
Qianlong also told Yonglian that this matter should be told as a joke when Mianmian is a child, and not to be told when she grows up. Little girls are concerned about their reputation and will feel embarrassed if they are told that she is fat.
Yonglian nodded repeatedly, but Mianmian was a chubby girl before she was five years old, and she was aware of her figure.
What’s even more infuriating is that the two younger uncles, Yongcong and Yongxuan, actually called Mianmian “fat niece”.
Qianlong lectured his two sons and removed the word "fat" in front of them. Mianmian was very calm, "It's okay, my uncles are just being realistic. My father said that people should be realistic."
Qianlong: “…”
At this moment, Emperor Qianlong was on a tour of Mount Wutai with a large group of people, while Yonglian remained in the capital as regent.
Qianlong brought his granddaughter out to see the world. While Yonglian was away, he taught Mianmian a lesson: "People should seek truth from facts, but they should also consider the feelings of others. Some big truths can be left unsaid..."
Yongcong and Yongxuan were also listening.
Since the brother and sister Mian De and Mian Mian were of similar age, Yonglian volunteered to give the two children an education.
Although both families have now moved out of the palace and set up their own residences, their mansions are next to each other and they are still neighbors, making it very convenient for them to visit each other.
Yonghuang readily agreed. His second brother was very patient with children. Maybe his son Fei would behave better when he was with his second brother.
Only Qianlong was unhappy and wanted to force Yonglian to work, but Yonglian often refused on the grounds that he had to go back to teach his children.
In order to give the boy no reason to be lazy, Qianlong hired a tutor for the two children. It was none other than the children's cousin Fei Ya.
Fei Ya had no children after her marriage and was very depressed. Qianlong was afraid that she would get stuck in a rut, so he simply found something for her to do.
Fei Ya is gentle and patient, and Mian De and Mian Mian are very well behaved in front of her.
Yonghuang and Yonglian both felt that their cousin was very suitable for teaching children, so Yonglian suggested that she set up a primary school to accept children aged four to eight from the royal family and teach them how to read and write. Both boys and girls could attend.
At the age of eight, boys can go to the clan school, while girls go home to learn how to manage the household.
Feiya mentioned this matter to Khan Ama. Qianlong thought it was not a big problem as it only concerned teaching the children of the royal family to study, so he agreed.
Niu Lun was responsible for educating the children of the orphanage in the capital, while Fei Ya opened a primary school. Both princesses had their own careers. Later, when Erhe grew up, he also thought about what he could do in the future.
By the time Mianmian grew up, she no longer thought it was unusual for women to have their own careers. Her father told her that besides getting married and having children, women had many other possibilities. They could become educators like Niulun and Feiya, become writers like her mother, or open a workshop like many female businesswomen in Jiangnan.
Yonglian asked his daughter, "What do you want to do when you grow up?" He could start paving the way for his daughter now.
Mianmian tilted her head and thought for a moment, "I want to be Prince Hui."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
